Friends From High School

As a person in the later stages of life, most of my memories include my married life, our children, and grandchildren. With the recent loss of Eva, the person a shared more than 58 of those years, many memories of those early years have been recalled. That is normal with most people adjusting to the loss of a loved one. I am so glad that I have fond memories of those days and the people that were in my life during those years.

Many of the teenagers that graduated in 1961 have remained active with the class reunions all these 60+ years. Several of those classmates are active on Facebook and share pictures of their family members and other information. Those posts help me feel like our friendships still exist all these years later. There are a smaller number of classmates that have continued a closer relationship through those years, with some memories created since high school.

During the days after Eva’s passing, I looked through her yearbooks from MHB and saw pictures of her that I had never seen before. Eva did not talk about herself much, but she had some close friends that would come up in our conversations. As I was reading the comments written in her yearbooks, I saw a common message that many had become good friends with her. I realize that most yearbook comments are like a rubber stamp with the same kind of message; however, if you take a little more time to read them there can be more of a personal message that goes beyond that. I learned that she had been a leader to some and helped them deal with the struggles they faced. Sometimes like the role of a big sister.

I then read the comments written in her yearbooks from Sam Houston High School, first to see what I had written and more out of curiosity about what others had written. More recently, I have been reading the comments that are in my yearbooks. That process has brought back memories of those days and certain classes that I shared with the person that wrote the message. Some of those people are in Heaven these days and some are friends on Facebook today.

I am so thankful that the foundation we got during those years has helped me through the years to manage the tough times and the good times by staying focused and humble. The values that were shaped and made part of our character have withstood the test of time and the challenges during those years. At this point in life, the greatest thing we have to share with family and friends is our love of God, family, and our nation. The challenge to the younger generations is to fight to keep those priorities first and to resist the efforts to destroy them. Below is the message that Jesus has provided to help us live our lives.

Romans 12:9-21 New International Version
Love in Action
⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.